The Fine Line
The Fine Line is a Chicago-based, privately held tile and interior design showroom founded in 1991, curating artistic, one-of-a-kind tiles through three branded galleries (Affine, Define, Refine) for architects, interior designers, and select homeowners via a trade-only, by-appointment model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Fine Line does
The Fine Line is a privately held, Chicago-based interior design and tile-curation company founded in 1991 by Kim Preis. Operating from a single trade-only showroom at 503 North Wells Street, the company curates and sells artistic, one-of-a-kind tile products to the architecture and design community, with a secondary homeowner segment served through segmented intake forms. Its core product surface is organized into three branded galleries within "The Anthology" — [AF]FINE (geometric and transformational tile designs), [DE]FINE (distinct and detailed collections), and [RE]FINE (elegant and polished selections) — functioning as curated editorial collections of stone mosaics, terrazzo, and plank-style materials rather than a transactional SKU catalog.
The company's underlying technology stack is minimal: an appointment-driven physical showroom, a Squarespace-hosted website, an Instagram marketing presence (@thefinelinechi), and a third-party virtual tour tool (mpembed.com) for remote browsing of tactile displays. There is no e-commerce, no proprietary software, no API, and no mobile application. Differentiation rests on artistic curation, tactile in-person display, and consultative service rather than on technology.
The Fine Line generates revenue through one-time sales of premium tile products, quote-based pricing (not publicly disclosed), and a consultative sales motion executed by appointment only with a team of 1–10 employees. Hours are restricted (Mon–Thu 9–5, Fri 9–1) and the model deliberately filters for project-qualified trade buyers. Operating geography is regional, serving the Midwest from a single Chicago showroom, with no documented expansion, funding, or M&A activity in the source data.
The Fine Line firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Fine Line
- Legal name
- The Fine Line
- Website
- https://finelinetile.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Fine Line is a Chicago-based, privately held tile and interior design showroom founded in 1991, curating artistic, one-of-a-kind tiles through three branded galleries (Affine, Define, Refine) for architects, interior designers, and select homeowners via a trade-only, by-appointment model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Fine Line industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Tile Retail
- NAICS
- Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444), Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Retail-Miscellaneous Retail (5900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kitchen & Bath Surfaces (Backsplash, Wall Panels, Specialty Tile) Showrooms (CRAIAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Commercial/Builder Kitchen & Bath Showrooms (Trade-Focused) (CRAIAFAK)
Keywords
Where The Fine Line is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Fine Line business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tile Product Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of premium, artistic tiles to architecture and design professionals as well as homeowners. Their focus on one-of-a-kind, curated tile selections positions them as a specialty retailer in the high-end tile market.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
The Fine Line product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Fine Line is a trade-only tile showroom and design studio operating in Chicago's River North neighborhood since 1991. The company curates and sells artistic, one-of-a-kind tile collections organized into three themed galleries — [AF]FINE (Affine), [DE]FINE (Define), and [RE]FINE (Refine) — serving architects, interior designers, and homeowners through personalized, by-appointment consultation and tactile showroom displays.
Product overview
The Fine Line is a tile design showroom and studio offering a curated collection of artistic tiles for residential and commercial spaces. The company operates three product galleries within its Anthology: [AF]FINE (Affine Gallery) featuring geometric and transformational tile designs, [DE]FINE (Define Gallery) showcasing distinctive and detailed tile collections, and [RE]FINE (Refine Gallery) offering elegant and polished tile selections. The company provides an immersive showroom experience with virtual tour capabilities, serving architects and designers with personalized consultation since 1991.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AFINE: Affine Gallery - transformations which preserve collinearity, especially in classical geometry, those of translation, rotation, and reflection in an axis
- DEFINE
- REFINE
Products and services
- [AF]FINE (Affine Gallery)
Companies that use The Fine Line
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Fine Line technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Fine Line partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Fine Line competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TileBar: TileBar is a direct-to-consumer and trade tile retailer with a strong e-commerce channel and broader assortment. Comparable to The Fine Line in product category (premium tile) but differentiated by an omni-channel model versus The Fine Line's appointment-only showroom.
- Stone Source: Stone Source is a national distributor of natural stone, porcelain, and tile serving architects and designers through showrooms across the US. Comparable to The Fine Line in trade-only customer focus and curated tile/surface offerings.
- Country Floors: Country Floors is a specialty importer and retailer of decorative tile, stone, and mosaics serving architects and designers. Comparable to The Fine Line in trade-only positioning and curated, design-forward tile assortment.
- Walker Zanger: Walker Zanger is a high-end tile and natural stone brand with showrooms across the US, offering curated artistic and designer tile collections to architects and designers — overlapping directly with The Fine Line's curated Anthology product lines.
- Fireclay Tile: Fireclay Tile is a designer-focused, artisan tile maker with a direct-to-consumer showroom and trade program, offering curated handmade tile collections. Comparable to The Fine Line in product curation philosophy and trade/designer service emphasis.
- Heath Ceramics: Heath Ceramics designs and produces handcrafted ceramic tile and tableware with designer showrooms in California. Comparable to The Fine Line as an artisan surface brand that treats tile as an art form and serves the architecture and design community.
- Artistic Tile: Artistic Tile is a specialty tile and stone showroom with showrooms in major US design markets, serving the architecture and interior design trade with curated, high-end surface products — directly comparable to The Fine Line's designer-focused tile showroom model.
Emerging players
- Modwalls: Modwalls is a modern tile retailer specializing in designer-oriented ceramic, glass, and porcelain mosaic tiles with a small-format showroom and trade program. Comparable to The Fine Line as a smaller, design-focused tile retailer serving pros and homeowners.
Broad incumbents
- Waterworks: Waterworks is a luxury home brand offering tile, bath, and kitchen products through designer showrooms nationwide. Comparable to The Fine Line in trade-only designer showroom model and premium positioning, though broader in category scope.
- Ann Sacks: Ann Sacks (a Kohler subsidiary) operates a national network of designer-focused tile, stone, and plumbing showrooms. Comparable to The Fine Line as a trade-oriented showroom in the luxury tile category, but with broader assortment and multi-city footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Fine Line social profiles
Digital presenceThe Fine Line financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Fine Line leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Fine Line funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Fine Line M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Fine Line
What does The Fine Line do?
The Fine Line is a trade-only tile showroom and design studio operating in Chicago's River North neighborhood since 1991. The company curates and sells artistic, one-of-a-kind tile collections organized into three themed galleries — [AF]FINE (Affine), [DE]FINE (Define), and [RE]FINE (Refine) — serving architects, interior designers, and homeowners through personalized, by-appointment consultation and tactile showroom displays.
Is The Fine Line a public or private company?
The Fine Line is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Fine Line founded?
The Fine Line was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Fine Line based?
The Fine Line is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Fine Line make money?
One revenue line is on record: tile Product Sales.
Who are The Fine Line's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TileBar, Stone Source, Country Floors, Walker Zanger, Fireclay Tile, Heath Ceramics and Artistic Tile. Modwalls is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Waterworks and Ann Sacks.
Does The Fine Line have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Fine Line.
What industry is The Fine Line in?
The Fine Line's product category is Specialty Tile Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAFAJ, Kitchen & Bath Surfaces (Backsplash, Wall Panels, Specialty Tile) Showrooms, with a secondary code of CRAIAFAK, Commercial/Builder Kitchen & Bath Showrooms (Trade-Focused). Its NAICS code is 444 and its SIC code is 5900.